U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,230 discloses a method of converting alkanes to alcohols and/or ethers, and a zone reactor comprised of a hollow, unsegregated interior defining first, second, and third zones. In a first embodiment, air or oxygen reacts with metal bromide in the first zone to provide bromine; bromine reacts with alkane(s) in the second zone to form alkyl bromides; and the alkyl bromides react with metal oxide in the third zone to form the corresponding product(s). Metal bromide from the third zone is transported through the vessel to the first zone, and metal oxide from the first zone is recycled to the third zone. A second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that metal oxide is transported through the vessel from the first zone to the third zone, and metal bromide is recycled from the third zone to the first zone. In a third embodiment, the flow of gases through the vessel is reversed to convert the metal oxide back to metal bromide and to convert the metal bromide back to the metal oxide.